Preparations are in full swing to start construction of the first-ever Hindu temple in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. As a first step a legal entity has been registered with the Abu Dhabi government for this purpose, said a report.

The temple committee has been registered as a legal entity (named Mandir Limited) with the Abu Dhabi Global Market, a critical step in the construction process. The Ministry of Community Development has also approved the entity as a charity, reported Gulf News.

The Abu Dhabi Government had approved the plan to build the temple during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to the UAE in 2015, it stated.

The seven-tower temple, representing each of the emirates in the UAE, will come up on a 56,656-sq-m area on the Abu Dhabi-Sweihan-Al Ain Road, said the report.

The temple complex will include a visitors’ centre, prayer halls, exhibitions, learning areas, sports area for children and youth, thematic gardens, water features, a food court, book and gift shop and other facilities, it stated.

The temple construction committee will appoint consultants within a month as part of the legal requirements to start the construction, stated the report. The entire project is likely to be completed by 2020, said the Gulf News report.

With the key registeration work over, Navdeep Singh Suri, Indian ambassador to the UAE, said the committee could now open its bank account and receive donations from the public for the construction.

“There is a very high level of ambition that this landmark [temple] will become an integral part of the impressive skyline of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, showcasing not only the best of Indian culture and civilisation but could also be a testimony to the UAE’s own spirit of tolerance,” he added.